President
Zsolt Horváth represents a rare combination among cultural managers working in Hungary: that of a marketing economist and professional musician. Born in Zala County, Hungary, he completed his secondary education in Pécs and settled in the city upon finishing his studies. He graduated with distinction from the Vienna Academy of Music in 1999 and subsequently earned a degree in Marketing Management Economics from the Faculty of Business and Economics at the University of Pécs in 2002. Since 1996, he has been a trumpet artist with the Pécs Symphony Orchestra and has taught trumpet at both the Pécs Secondary School of Arts and the University of Pécs. As an educator, he has achieved outstanding results, with his students winning numerous national competitions. Between 1997 and 1999, he was an organizer and founding member of several arts festivals, including the International Trumpet Days and the György Cziffra Memorial Festival. In 2003, he was appointed Director of the Pécs Symphony Orchestra and later became Director of the Pannon Philharmonic Orchestra – Pécs. He served as a member of the Artistic Council of the European Capital of Culture (ECoC) programme and, in recognition of his contributions, received a Ministerial Certificate of Appreciation in 2010. He is credited with introducing the organizational innovations that enabled the artistic renewal of the Pannon Philharmonic Orchestra. He also played a key role in the professional musical planning and preparation of the Kodály Centre, inaugurated in 2010, as well as in the development and implementation of the orchestra’s resident ensemble responsibilities within the new concert hall. In May 2026, he was appointed a member of the Working Group for Professional Musical Ensembles and Choirs established by the Hungarian Music Council.
Board Members
György Lendvai (1960) holds degrees in Electrical Engineering, Violin Performance, and Cultural Management. He obtained his qualifications in Budapest (Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Budapest University of Technology and Economics; Franz Liszt Academy of Music) and in the United States (University of Massachusetts Amherst). He gained management experience during a study tour in the United States, where he examined the operations of major American orchestras. Between 1996 and 1997, he worked as a manager of the Szeged Symphony Orchestra, and since 2005 has served as Executive Director of the MÁV Symphony Orchestra. He is a board member of the Association of Hungarian Concert Organizers and Artistic Agencies and has also been a board member of the Association of Hungarian Symphony Orchestras since 2008.
Sándor Gyüdi (1959) graduated from the Franz Liszt Academy of Music. In 1988, he was appointed Chorus Master and Conductor at the National Theatre of Szeged. Since 1999, he has served as Music Director of the Szeged Symphony Orchestra; from 2008 as Principal Conductor and Artistic Director; and from 2018 once again as Music Director. Concurrently, between 2008 and 2018 he was General Director of the National Theatre of Szeged, followed by his appointment as Music Director from 2018 to 2020. He regularly conducts concerts and opera performances abroad, serves as a jury member at international music competitions, and teaches at the Béla Bartók Faculty of Music of the University of Szeged. Among numerous honors, he received the Franz Liszt Prize in 2006, the Knight’s Cross of the Hungarian Order of Merit in 2014, and the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland in 2016. Between 2002 and 2009, he served as Co-President of the Association of Hungarian Symphony Orchestras and has again been a board member since 2014.
Dániel Somogyi-Tóth (1981) was born in Budapest. He studied piano and composition at the Béla Bartók Conservatory and graduated in 2006 from the Franz Liszt Academy of Music with degrees in Conducting and Organ Performance, studying under Tamás Gál, András Ligeti, and Gábor Lehotka. He pursued advanced piano studies under Lajos Kertész, Gábor Eckhardt, and Gyöngyi Keveházi, complemented by masterclasses with Ferenc Rados, László Baranyay, and Sándor Falvai. Following his graduation, he served as Artistic Director and Conductor of the Békés County Symphony Orchestra from 2007 to 2011. Under his leadership, the orchestra underwent comprehensive professional, financial, and organizational renewal, significantly increased its audience, and became one of the symphony orchestras supported by the national ministry responsible for culture. In recognition of these achievements, he and the orchestra received the Prima Prize in 2008. He is also an honorary citizen of the town of Dévaványa in Békés County. From 2009 to 2019, he was a permanent guest conductor at the Budapest Operetta Theatre, where he was associated with major productions such as The Bayadère, Mario and the Magician, and the theatre’s international tours. Between 2010 and 2011, he served as Opera Conductor at the National Theatre of Pécs. Since May 2011, he has been General Director and Artistic Director of the Kodály Philharmonic Debrecen, and since April 2012, Music Director of the Csokonai National Theatre, thereby serving as Chief Music Director of the City of Debrecen.
Gergely Popa was born in Győr. He completed his secondary studies at the Béla Bartók Secondary School of Music and later graduated from the Franz Liszt Academy of Music with degrees in Violin Performance and Violin Pedagogy. From 2000, he was a member of the Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, and between 2000 and 2004 he also worked as a guest artist with the Kanazawa Orchestra in Japan. Between 2004 and 2008, he worked at the Mathias Institute, where he gained experience in the development and operation of performance evaluation systems. As he puts it, “I never left music; I simply gained a new perspective on how organizations function.” From 2007 to 2013, he served as Section Leader and Concertmaster of the Savaria Symphony Orchestra, while from 2009 he was also Principal Player of the Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. In 2014, he spent a year supporting the orchestra as Orchestra Manager, and from 2018 until July 2023 he served as Director of the Orchestra of the Hungarian State Opera. Effective June 1, 2025, following a decision by the Municipal Assembly of the City of Szombathely, he was appointed Director of the Savaria Symphony Orchestra.
